Cleverly rendered illustrations transformed into a beautiful realm of color and character: Studio Ghibli is known for those well versed in the art of filmmaking, and anime in particular. As is Hayao Miyazaki, the man behind some of the studio’s most loved films and one of its co-founders.
Now Miyazaki has added another award to his illustrious collection — the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay AwardWhich is commonly called the Nobel Prize of Asia.
In announcing the award, Studio Ghibli said the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation said Miyazaki “has used art to help children understand complex issues such as environmental conservation and promoting peace. He has created many of the world’s most memorable and beloved films.”
We take a look at Miyazaki’s journey to becoming a popular and acclaimed animator.
Origin Story
Hayao Miyazaki was born in Tokyo on January 5, 1941. He was the son of the director of an aircraft parts company. This family business gave the young Miyazaki an interest in airplanes that remained throughout his life and his work.
He received a degree in economics at Gakushuin University in Tokyo. In 1963, he joined Toei Animation, which was Asia’s largest animated film production company at the time. Here, at Toei, he met and became friends with Isao Takahata, who later became his business partner. He also met Ota Akemi, who later became his wife.
Toei created feature-length animated films for the big screen and later for television. Among their works was the 1974 series Heidi, Girl of the Alps, produced by Zuiyo, directed by Takahata, and scripted by Miyazaki. They also worked on the series Okami Shonen Ken (Wolf Boy Kane), and :Taiyo no Ouji: Horusu no Daibōken (Little Norse Prince) which was Takahata’s first film as director.
Miyazaki and Takahata left Toei in 1971, and the pair continued to work for studios across town. In 1979, Miyazaki released his first feature-length film Rupan Sansei: Kariosutoro no Shiro (1979; Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro), which features the adventures of the gentleman thief Lupin.
In 1985, Miyazaki founded Studio Ghibli with Takahata and producer Toshio Suzuki. The studio’s aim was to create animation films that were different from the trends of the time. Exploring the human psyche, storytelling, and creativity was to be the basis of their work.
Miyazaki chose the name ‘Ghibli’ for this new venture, which means the hot wind blowing across the Sahara Desert. According to legend, the name was used for an Italian reconnaissance plane deployed in World War II, where Miyazaki, an aeroplane enthusiast, saw it and decided to use it for the new studio.
This studio came into existence soon after the trio’s first venture. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind was a success; it was based on the manga of the same name published by Miyazaki, and was produced by Tokuma Shoten.
Shortly after this success, Studio Ghibli released Laputa: Castle in the Sky In 1968, again produced by Tokuma Shoten, the film revolves around an orphaned boy and girl who travel from a farm to explore the mysterious region of Laputa.
A scene from ‘My Neighbor Totoro’
In 1988, Miyazaki created one of his most popular works – My Neighbor Totoro, in which a pair of sisters living in rural Japan befriend mythical forest spirits. Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), about a young witch’s journey into adulthood, and Porco Rosso (1992), about a pilot cursed to now have the face of a pig.
Along with Miyazaki, Isao Takahata has also directed several notable films – such as the heart-wrenching Grave of the Fireflies (1988).
1997s Princess Mononoke, A touching tale about nature and human progress, involving Japanese tree spirits called Kodama, was a blockbuster. More success awaited; the 2001 film spirited Away won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003 – the first non-English language film to do so. Following in its footsteps, howl’s Moving Castle (2004) was also nominated for an Academy Award. Miyazaki also wrote the screenplay for The Secret World of Arrietty (2010).
A scene from ‘Princess Mononoke’
In 2013, Studio Ghibli released the wind rises, The story of Japanese fighter aircraft designer Horikoshi Jiro, based on one of Miyazaki’s manga; it was also nominated for an Academy Award. In 2015, Miyazaki was also awarded an honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement.
the wind rises Miyazaki announced his retirement, saying this would be his last film. However, in 2016, he announced that a short-film venture — Kemushi No Boro (Borrow the Caterpillar) – was to be made into a feature-length film.
A scene from ‘The Boy and the Heron’
After taking a break of more than 10 years, Miyazaki returns to the studioboy and heronThe film, which released worldwide last year to rave reviews, was hand-drawn with every frame meticulously crafted over a period of seven years. It follows a young boy grieving the loss of his mother who is lured by a heron into entering a tower that leads to a realm filled with people, both living and dead.
Known for its sweet-bitter tone, the film won the Golden Globe, Bafta and Academy Awards earlier this year.
What is the Ramon Magsaysay Award?
Ramon Magsaysay AwardConsidered one of Asia’s top honours, the award is given in recognition of “noble spirit displayed in selfless service to the people of Asia”.
The award was instituted in 1957 by the trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund in honor of the late President of the Philippines, Ramon Magsaysay. It was first conferred in 1958. Until 2008, it was awarded in six categories: government service, public service, community leadership, peace and international understanding; emerging leadership and journalism, literature and creative communication arts. Except for emerging leadership, all other categories have now been discontinued.
So far, 322 people and 26 organizations from 22 Asian countries have been awarded the Ramon Magsaysay Award. Artists from various fields have won the award, including Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray, Carnatic classical singer MS Subbulakshmi and Filipino composer Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab. Journalist Ravish Kumar (2019) and Arun Shourie (1982), Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi and cartoonist RK Laxman have also won the award in the past.
Other award winners this year include Phuntsho Karma of Bhutan, a former Buddhist monk, scholar and social activist; Vietnamese physician Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, who works with the Vietnam Association of Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA); Farhan Farwiza of Indonesia, a conservationist-founder of Yayasan Hutan Alam dan Lingkungan Aceh (HAKA), dedicated to the preservation of the Leuser Ecosystem; and the Rural Healers Movement of Thailand.
The 2024 awardees will be honored at a ceremony in Manila this November.